Plug foundation fob wells



W. G. HAYNES. PLUG FouNomo-N FOR WELLS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.10,19|9

Patent-ed Nov. 18, 1919.

WILLIAM Gr. HAYNES, 0F OFFEYVILLE, KANSAS.

PLUG FOUNDATION FOR WELLS.

Application filed February l0, 1919.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known'that I, IVILLIAM G. HAYNIJS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Colfeyville, in the county of Montgomery and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plug Foundations for `WellsgV and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and i eXact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification. y

This invention is a novel plug foundation or support to be used in oil wells, and the like, when it is desired to insert a plug to seal up such well, or a portion of the well, as sometimes becomes desirable.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple device which can be inserted in the well and lowered to the desired point and then readily expanded and secured therein, so that it will form a substantial foundation'l for the sealing plug; which can be subsequently seated thereon.

The device can be used as a foundation or support upon which plugs can be set at any given depth or place in an oil or gas well. Sometimes when a well is drilled a sand strata is struck which while producing oil or gas does not do so in the desired quantity; and then drilling continued and after drilling` the welll deeper salt water is encountered. If this salt water is vallowed to rise into the oil or gas producing sand, and remain there any length of time, it will eventually ruin the sand; so it is necessary to plug the well above this salt water in order to save the values in the sand above it. The method mnnnonly used at present is to lill in the hole with stone, sand7 cement and the like, for some distance above the salt water to form a base upon which to drive a plug, usually of the expansible type, for if it is attempted to drive such a plug in the soft strata in which the water is found the plug will be ineffective and let the water pass. The said common method of forminoV a foundation for the plug is also wasteful in materials and costly as much time is lost waiting for the cement to set, for which time the workmen have to be paid.

My novel plug' foundation or support can be lowered to any depth desired in such a. well, tripped at that depth, and firmly scoured in position in a few minutes; and it forms a substantial and secure support for the plug in the Well; and any desired kind Specification of Letters Patent.

bar 2 is also preferably beveled Patented N ov. 18, 1919.

Serial No. 276,000.

of expansible onto said support and driven home to seal the well. The more weight and pressure exerted downwardly upon the support and the harder the plug is driven, the more sec urely the support is caused to hold in position.

I will describeone practical embodiment o f the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings to enable others to adapt and use the same, but do not consider the invention restricted to the particular form or features of construction shown, eX- cept as the same may be recited in the more specific claim. I refer to the.. claim for tection is desired.

In said drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view support ready for insertion into a well.

4ig. :2 is a reduced horizontal section therethrough on the line 2`2, Fig. 3.

E ig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section thereof on line 3`8, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 conventionally illustrates the manner of securing-'the plug support in a well.

As shown the plug support or foundation device has a base member l which may be of any suitable forni and horizontal transverse cross section, but of such size that` it will enter freely within the bore of the well in which the support is to be secured.

This base member l is provided with a central vertical opening 1a for the reception of a wedge pin 3; and it is also provided in its sides with a plurality of radially disposed slots lb in which are mounted sliding dogs or bars 2. The bars 2 are provided on with preferably enlarged of the plug their outer ends heads 2a, which are also transversely toothed or serrated as shown, so that they will readily bite tlie walls of the well when forced thereagainst. The inner end of each sliding as shown at 2b, and engages an opposed correspondingly beveled surface 3b of the wedge-pin 3.

The wedge-pin 3 preferably corresponds in cross section with the opening la in the base member, and has a. series of longitudinally disposed slots or grooves 3a in its sides, one for each slide bar 2,' and the wedge surfaces 3b are preferably formed in the bottoms of the grooves Sain the sides c of the wedge-pin. Said grooves preferably plug can be at once lowered Y in contracted condition by any Icorrespond iii width to the thickness of thc slide bars 2 and assist in guiding the same,l and prevent their being deflected laterally by the pressure of the wedge surfaces thereagainst.

Y Nhen the wedge-pin is entirely raised (as indicated in full lines in Figs. l and f5) the slide bars are in ytheirinnermost positions, and their heads nearest the sides of the base I; the foundation or support being then contracted and ready for insertion into a 4well.

When the support is to be placed in a Well it should be contracted, as indicated in Figs. l and 8, and when so contracted a weak confining wire or cord 7 may be placed around the base and heads, (as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3); this cord being adapted io be easily ruptured upon the forcible descent of the pin 3 after the plug support has been lowered to the desired position in the well as hereinafter explained.

The plug support may be carried .while suitable means. As shown a bail 8 of wire or cord has its ends attached to the base at opposite sides of the wedge-pin as indicated in the drawings, or in other suitable way, and extends up over the top of the wedge-pin, which is shown as provided with a head 3, having` perforations 3d, for the passage of the `bail 8; but the bail S may be arranged in other suitable manner.

Villien the support is to be lowered into a well, a cord or rope el is engaged with the bail 8 above the wedge-pin, as indicated in Figs. 1-3, so as to suspend the base and connected parts, leaving the wedge-pin raised and the slide bars (or dogs) retracted.

'Ihe support can then be lowered into the well to the desired depth. lNhen the desired depth is reached, a weight 5, (i which may be of cast iron with a hole in its ccnter for the double rope l to run through) is slipped on to the double rope el. and rcleased at the top of the well; this weight slides down the rope by gravity and strikes the top of pin 3 driving said wedge pin which is suspended by down in the base, the rope; `and when the pin is thus driven into the base it forces the slide bars or dogs 2 outwardly and against the side walls of the well and securely wedges the slide bars radially in the well, and the bars support the base and pin and hold the base statioir ary and firmly in position; and the more weight or pressure put on the pin, the more tightly the bars are caused to bite the wall as the wedge surfaces on the pin the more forcibly push out the bars or dogs.

The rope a can then be easily removed by releasing one end at the top and drawing it out by the other end. Any suitable expansible plug or packing (not shown) can then be lowered onto the support and be driven firmly in place. The more weight and force exerted upon the support in driving the plug or packing thereon the more tightly will it bite the wall.

The plug supports are to be made of various sizes to suit different wells; they are not unwieldy nor very heavy; and it will be easy for drillers to carry one or more of these plug supports in their cars ready for use at a moments notice.

What I claim is:

In a plug support or foundation for the purpose'specilied; a base member; radially movable members mounted on said base member, a vertically movable wedge inember mounted on the base member and adapted to force the radially movable 'members outward when the wedge member is driven downward; a carrier connected with the base and adapted to be connected to a rope whereby the foundation may be suspended in a well at any desired depth, means for yieldingly holding the movable members retracted and the wedge member raised while the base member is being lowered into the well and suspendedin position therein, and means for driving the wedge member after the base member is lowered to the dcsired position and while it is suspended. by the carrier in thewell.

f. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I affix my signature.

WILLIAM c; HAYNns. 

